Oscars 2016 ceremony to be produced by Australian TV executive David Hill

The Oscars ceremony will have a new team of producers after Neil Meron and Craig Zadan spent three years at the helm. Photograph: Alamy

Australian TV executive David Hill was Kerry Packer’s lieutenant when they revolutionised cricket in the late 1970s with one-day games in coloured uniforms played under light towers.

Hill then joined forces with Australia’s other media tycoon, Rupert Murdoch, and spent 25 years transforming how Brits and Americans watched sport on their televisions.

Next up for Hill? The Oscars.

Television executive and Sydney resident David Hill has been described as a ‘true innovator’ in television. Photograph: Seth Wenig/AP

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday they hired the risk-taking TV producer to produce the Academy awards ceremony.

“What a great and exciting honour,” Hill said. “The quest is to honour the year in film, honour the art, and above all, make it fun.”

Hill will team up with Oscar-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin (Django Unchained).

Hill and Hudlin face a daunting task, with 2015’s ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and produced by the exiting Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, suffering lukewarm reviews and a 16% drop in US viewers in the key adult 18-49 demographic.

There were 37.3 million US viewers, the lowest since 2009, and critics called for a major overhaul of what is Hollywood’s night of nights.

Related: Oscar telecast producers end three-year stint in charge of ceremony

Viewers in Australia also switched off. Nine’s live broadcast of the ceremony attracted an audience of 361,000, plus a further 248,000 who watched the delayed evening telecast – a 29% drop on the year before.

“We’re delighted to have this talented team on board,” Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said. “David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality.

“His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a film-maker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

During his career, Hill has been chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Media Group, chairman.

The Academy awards ceremony will be held on 28 February.

• This article was corrected on 2 September 2015 to remove references to David Hill’s involvement with the ABC and Australian Football Association. Another David Hill was previously the managing director of the ABC and chairman of the football association.